The laser generator of the invention is of the type comprising:
means for creating a resonant optical cavity in one axis,
a discharge tube arranged in the cavity along said axis,
means for introducing a laser gas into the tube,
means for aspirating the laser gas out of the tube,
first and second electrodes each comprising a center opening, these electrodes being disposed along the said axis such as to be in contrast with the laser gas introduced into the tube,
means for imparting two different electrical potentials respectively to said first and second electrodes such as to bring about between the two electrodes an electrical discharge in the laser gas contained in the tube, said discharge bringing about the formation of an axial laser radiation oscillating within the cavity and passing through the center openings of the first and second electrodes
and means enabling part of the laser radiation to leave the cavity to form a laser beam.
A laser generator of this type is described in European patent application publication No. 0015297. In the generator described therein, the laser gas is introduced axially into the tube via the center opening of the first electrode and via peripheral openings in said second electrode. This generator has one drawback: its specific discharge power, in other words the maximum electric power which can be developed in the electrical discharge, divided by the volume of discharge, is limited to a relatively small value. As a result there is a corresponding limitation of the optical output power of such laser generators.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate this disadvantage and to provide particularly simple, high-powered and highly efficient gas laser generators.